Elevator-gate-locking apparatus.



C. A. BLESSING, JR.

ELEVATOR GATE LOCKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man APR. 18. 19m.

1 ,27 3,570. Patented July 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ITED STATES CHARLES A. BLESSING, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEVATOR-GATE-LOCKING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. Btnss- ING, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing. atPhiladelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented; certain new and usefullmprovements in Elevator-Gate-Locking Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

' Oneobject of my. invention is to provide automatically operative apparatus which will permit .the gates of an elevator shaft to be opened and: remain open when the ole vator car is at the floor level where the gates are located.

Another object is to-so construct the apparatus of my invention that the mere movement of the elevatorcar iii-either direction from a floor level will automatically effect the closing of any open gates at that floor level.

Another object is to so construct my invention that it will operate to prevent the gatesofan elevator shaft from being opened at any other time than that in which the elevator-car is. at the floor level so that an elevator construction equippedwith my invention Will;-prevent accidents, because it Will prevent persons from opening the gates when the car is not at the floor level and thereby keep them from falling down the elevator shaft. Accidents ofthis character also have occurred by neglect to close the gates when the elevator car has moved away from the floor level. Sincemyinvention automatically'effects the closing of the gates, accidents from this latter cause are also prevented.

A further object is to make -my invention of a simple and durable construction.

These objects, and other advantageous endsvv'hich willbe describedhereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference beinghadto the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an elevator construction, such .for example-as used in vmills,factories, orthe like, employing vertically slidable gates. This view shows .an elevator at a floor level with one of the gates. in a closed positionand anoppositcly disposed gate having been raised andauto- .matically-secured in place by a means of my invent on.

.1 Fig.2 shows a view of the same. general Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23,1918.

Application filed April 18, 918 Serial No. 229,226.

nature a Fig. 1 showing the elevator car at a position below the floor level and with the gates locked in a, closed position by the apparatus of my invention,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation partly in section, showing a spring connection which forms a part of my invention,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 66,.of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view partly in section, showing certain features of my invention, and t Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view showing certain of the featuresoperative to release the gate when the elevator car has reached the floor level.

In the drawings I have illustrated an clevator shaft construction including two oppositely disposed gates which are similarly constructed and which will be affected in similar manners by the apparatus of my invention and, therefore, in the following description I will describe in detail only one of the gates and the means'for controlling the same, and it, will be understood that the other gate is constructed in the same manner and affected by elements of similar construction to that which is specifically. described.

Referring to the drawings, Lrepresents an elevator shaft structure having side rails 2 between which the elevator car 3 slides. The shaft ;structure 1 has plates 4: thereon and, a gate 5 has. grooved opposite. edges 6 which embrace these plates and a vertical guideway is thereby provided for the gates sothat under proper conditions the gate can be raised and permitted to drop.

A plate spring 7, which issecured at its upper end to the shaft structure 1, has :1 depending portion 8 which is bowed outwardly from the shaft structure 1, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. A rod 9 has a threaded portion 10 which extends through a .hole in the depending portion 8 of the plate spring 7, and nuts 11 and 12 fit the threaded portion of the rod 9. and abut opposite surfaces of the plate spring 7. By this arrangement the rod 9 is secured to the plate spring 7 but it is possible, by turning the nuts v11 and 12, to ad ust the positionof the rod 9 relatively to the plate spring 7.

The rod 9 is pivotally connected at 13 to a lever 14, said lever being pivoted at 15 between its ends. 16 and 17 to thewshaft ing finger which is adapted to' be engaged by acam shoe 21' on the elevator car 3. This cam shoe has inwardly beveled ends 22 and 23.- The normal position of theplate spring is shown in Fig. 2.; In

other words, thecam shoe 21 is out of'engagement with the finger 20 of the plate spring 7 so that said plate spring 7 holds the lever 14 withits end 17 over the lug 18 of the gate.

I The upward movement of the elevator car 3 from the position shown in Fig. 2, causes the cam shoe 21 to engage back of the finger 20 and in so doing willmove the entire plate spring 7 onto the highest portion ofthe cam shoe 21, and since the plate spring is connected to the rod 9, the latter will swing the lever 14 on its pivot 15 and free the lug 18 from the'end 17 of'the lever. l'nconsequence of this movement, however, the end 16 of the lever 14 .will be moved outwardly and the edge surface 24 of said lever end 16 will be in the path of upward movement of the gate lug 18, such position being shown at the left-hand side of Fig.1. However, by the construction of my invention when the lever 14 is moved into said position the gate can be raised since the lug '18 will not engage the edge surface 24 until it has passed above the pivot 15. When the lug 18 does engage the surface 24, the lever 14 will slightly turn on its pivot 15 due to the fact that the plate spring 7 will slightly twist and even though the finger 20. is on the highest portion of the cam shoe; ,it being. understood that when the elevator has reached the floor level 19, the

' "cam shoe'21 willhavepushed the finger 20 outwardly to its fullest extent and the finger 20 will be positioned on. the highest portion of thecamshoei I When the lug 18 has .been raised. to a po- *sition on a level with the top end 16, the

plate spring 7 will jmove the rod '9 in'an opposite direction and thereby push the end ldunder the lug 18"and hold the gate in its raised "position, such position being shown at the: righthand side of Fig. 1. The gate will remainin a raised position as long as the elevator car remains 'at'the'floor' level 19. and also as long as the finger 20 rests agalnst' the; highest portion of the cam shoe21. if However, just as soon as the elevator car moves away from the floor level'sothat the cam shoe 21 frees the finger 20, the plate spring 7 will tend to move into its normal position or into the position shown in Fig. 2. This, movement of the plate spring causes the end 16 of the lever 14 to be moved from under the lug 18 of the raised. gate and the gate will fall by gravity to its closed position. During its falling movement, however, it will, be slightly checked due to the fact that it must engage the edge surface 24 at a position below the pivot 15 and since the lever is resiliently held a slight buffing action is present which will retard the falling movement of the gate, when it hasnearly completed its-drop,

Itwill be noted that the operationof'one gate does not in any wayafi'ect'the other gate in so far as the manual or raising movement of the gates j are, concerned. However, if only one of the gates is raised, the movement of the elevator car away from the floor level will efiect the lowering or closing of that raised gate. If both of the gates are raised they will both be closed ifthe car is moved away from thefloor level. The apparatus of my invention can be easily installed and there is no complicated mechanism connected therewith.

While I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be understood that the various parts of my inven tion may be changed without departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims l w v Having thus described my invention, what ters Patent is: 1

1. The combination in an elevator construction,of a movable gate a car; a supporting structure, a plate spring on said supporting structure; a camshoe. on the car; a lever on said supporting structure f a lug on said gate; andmeansconnecting the plate spring with a portion of said lever located at one side of'its pivotfsaid plate j spring normallyholding another portion of the lever in the path of movement of! said 7 lug and thereby'preventing theopening of said gate, said plate spring having'a portion adapted to be engaged by said cam shoe to move said second portion of the lever away from said lug to permit; the 'gateto be raised and to move said first portion of said lever into the path of movement of said lug, said plate spring being yieldable' due to the engagement of said lug 'with said lat ter portion of the leverto permit said-lug to be raised to a level with the free end of' the lever, said plate spring being-operative 7 after $3.16. "lug has reached' said "level tof'IEO I claim as new and desire to secure by'Let move the lever under said lug to hold the gate in a raised position, substantially as described.

2. The combination in an elevator construction, of a movable gate; a car; a supporting structure; a plate spring on said supporting structure; a cam shoe on the car; a lever on said supporting structure; a lug on said gate; and means connecting the plate spring with a portion of said lever located at one side of its pivot, said plate spring normally holding another portion of the lever in the path of movement of said lug and thereby preventing the opening of said gate, said plate spring having a portion extending laterally therefrom and located to one side of the connection between said plate spring and lever, said portion of the plate spring being adapted to be engaged by said cam shoe to move said second portion of the lever away from said lug to permit the gate to be raised and to move said first portion of said lever into the path of movement of said lug, said plate spring being yieldable due to the engagement of said lug with said latter portion of the lever to permit said lug to be raised to a level with the free end of the lever, said plate spring being operative after said lug has reached said level to move the lever under said lug to hold the gate in a raised position, substantially as described.

3. The combination in an elevator construction, of a movable gate; a car; a sup porting structure; a plate spring on said supporting structure; a cam shoe on the car; a lever on said supportin structure; a lug on said gate; a rod pivotally connected to a portion of said lever and having a threaded part extending through said plate spring; and nuts on said threaded portion located at opposite sides of the plate spring, said plate spring normally holding another portion of the lever in the path of movement of said lug and thereby preventing the opening of said gate, said plate spring having a portion adapted to be engaged by said cam shoe to move said second portion of the lever away from said lug to permit the gate to be raised and to move said first portion of said lever into the path of movement of said. lug, said plate spring being yieldable due to the engagement of said lug with said latter portion of the lever to permit said lug to be raised to a level with the free end of the lever, said plate spring being operative after said lug has reached said level to move the lever under said lug to hold the gate in a -aised position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. BLESSING, JR.

Witnesses:

MARY A. INGLAR, CHAS. E. Porrs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

